According to Peter Schrager, the Rams didn’t try to keep Rodger Saffold.
Rodger Saffold played the first nine years of his NFL career with the Rams, starting games at every offensive line position except center. He hit free agency last offseason and the Titans signed him to a four-year, $44 million deal that was presumably too rich for the Rams’ taste.
As it turns out, Los Angeles didn’t even try to re-sign Saffold when his contract expired last March. According to Peter Schrager of NFL Network, the Rams didn’t make an offer to Saffold last offseason.
To make matters worse, Schrager says all Saffold wanted was to be a Ram for life.
Followed up with: "All Saffold wanted to be was a Ram, and they didn't even offer him a contract".
Saffold was one of the longest-tenured players on the team and not only was he a leader in the locker room, but he was one of the most important players on offense. Next to Andrew Whitworth, Saffold was a road-grading left guard who was also good in pass protection.
Losing him was a significant blow to the offense and his departure is part of the reason Jared Goff and Todd Gurley regressed in 2019.
The Rams didn’t have a ton of money to spend and also lost Lamarcus Joyner in free agency, but the reported lack of effort to keep Saffold is shocking, to say the least.
The good news for Saffold is A) he got paid, and B) he’s one win away from playing in his second consecutive Super Bowl.
Torry Holt explains why he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
The Rams could potentially add two former players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year with both Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce being finalists for the 2020 class. This is Bruce’s fourth year as a finalist, but Holt is getting his first taste of being one.
This week, Holt went on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” to stake his claim for Canton, explaining why he deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His numbers are enough of a case for him to be enshrined in Canton, but he doesn’t want to leave it just up to his stats.
“I do,” Holt said when asked if he thinks he’ll be inducted. “I feel like I’m definitely getting the respect that I worked for. And I do feel like I’ll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Will it happen this year? I hope so, it’d be great. But I’m a finalist. It’s just a matter of when now.”
Holt would love to get inducted in the same year as Bruce, going to Canton together. But at the same time, playing with so many great players with the Rams may hurt Holt’s case for the Hall of Fame.
“When you look at us separately, I’m actually in a different era than those guys,” he said. “I think back to my 1999 draft class, and I was doing some research, and the Rams sent me over some stuff. I outpaced the 1999 draft class by 3,000 more yards than any receiver in that draft class. Just that draft class. That in itself is pretty phenomenal, I think. That sounds yellow jacket-y. And then I was playing in an era with Marvin Harrison, Isaac Bruce, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Steve Smith, Hines Ward – and I was on the All-Decade team with those guys. So that just goes to show the level I was playing.
“It’ll be great if me and Isaac go in together, he’s definitely deserving. He’ll go in – hopefully it’s this year, clear a way for myself and some others.”
Holt finished his career with 13,382 yards, 74 touchdowns and seven Pro Bowl appearances. He was named a first-team All-Pro once and ranks 16th all-time in receiving yards.
Jared Goff’s alarming regression on deep passes can be seen clearly on this chart.
During his terrific 2018 season, Jared Goff was excellent in two areas: play-action passes and deep throws downfield.
On play-action passes two years ago, Goff threw for 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions with a passer rating of 115.0. On passes at least 20 yards downfield, Goff’s passer rating was 109.7, according to Inside Edge, which was fourth-best in the NFL.
Both of those trends changed dramatically in 2019 with Goff taking a huge step back on play-action passes and deep shots. Focusing on the latter, these passing charts from Next Gen Stats show just how far Goff fell off on deep throws this past season.
Here’s his grid from 2019:
Compared to his chart from 2018:
Yeah, it was that bad. Goff was miles below the league average on deep passes this season, particularly throwing to the deep middle and right. As a whole, Goff’s passer rating on deep throws (20-plus yards downfield) was 54.5 in 2019 – third-worst among qualified quarterbacks.
It’s amazing to think he finished third in the league in passing yards despite rarely connecting on big plays. How is that possible? Yards after the catch, that’s how.
The Rams’ wide receivers averaged 5.8 yards after the catch this season, which was tied for the best rate in the NFL. Their 1,444 yards after the catch were the most in the league by a wide margin.
Having wide receivers who can break tackles and pick up big gains after the catch is great, but Goff has to do a better job hitting passes deep downfield, too. And you can say what you will about the situation around Goff – his bad offensive line, Brandin Cooks’ struggles, Cooper Kupp mostly working underneath – but for the most part, deep passes fall on the quarterback.
He can’t always rely on his receivers to make big plays with the ball in their hands. Goff must improve in this area next season.
Skip Peete has found a new landing spot after being let go by the Rams.
It didn’t take long for running backs coach Skip Peete to be scooped up after the Rams parted ways with him this offseason. And he’s heading back to a team he’s familiar with.
According to ESPN, the Cowboys are hiring Peete to be their running backs coach. Peete was with Dallas from 2007-2012 before joining the Bears in 2013 and the Rams in 2016.
The Dallas Cowboys will hire Skip Peete as running backs coach, per source.
During his time with the Cowboys, Peete coached Marion Barber in his Pro Bowl season in 2007, and was the running backs coach when DeMarco Murray averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a rookie in 2011.
The Rams have yet to replace Peete on their staff and were reportedly eyeing Stan Drayton from Texas. He’s on his way back to the Longhorns, though, which leaves the Rams to look elsewhere for Peete’s replacement.
The #Cowboys and new coach Mike McCarthy recently interviewed RB coach Skip Peete for their vacant RB coach job, source said. He held that position in Dallas from 2007-12 and they’ve discussed a return. Stan Drayton from #Texas is believed to be returning to UT.
In Peete’s tenure with the Rams from 2016-2019, Todd Gurley was a two-time All-Pro at running back and the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year. The Rams ranked in the top 10 in rushing in 2017 and 2018.
The Rams were an entertaining team in 2019 and this video shows why.
Each week, the Los Angeles Rams had a player who was wired for sound. It led to some awesome videos that let fans get a peek behind the curtain on game day, showing what players talk about and how they communicate on the field.
With the 2019 season in the rearview mirror, the Rams released a montage video of the best mic’d-up moments from this past year. It features everyone from Todd Gurley to Sean McVay to Jalen Ramsey, as well as Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers – among many others.
The highlight of the video comes right in the middle when Ramsey talks trash to Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson.
The Rams certainly have an abundance of charismatic and entertaining players on their roster, as evidenced by this video. Many of them should be back in 2020, too, keeping the locker room chemistry high.
Here’s how Eric Weddle reacted to Luke Kuechly’s unexpected retirement announcement.
For the second straight year, the NFL lost one of its best young players to an unexpected retirement announcement. Last offseason, Andrew Luck decided to call it a career before turning 30, and now, Luke Kuechly is doing the same.
On Tuesday night, he announced his retirement with an emotional video, stepping away from football after eight years in the NFL. He has a history of concussions and said he doesn’t feel like he can continue to play a fast and physical style of football – which he says is required to play at the highest level.
Rams safety Eric Weddle reacted to the news by calling Kuechly a legend, saying the NFL “lost a great one.”
Kuechly is one of the best linebackers to come into the NFL in the last decade, making seven Pro Bowls and being a five-time All-Pro selection. He also won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.
SoFi Stadium is nearing completion, as this aerial tour shows.
Morale among Rams fans is probably pretty low after the team missed the playoffs this season, finishing with an unimpressive 9-7 record after making the Super Bowl a year ago. However, there is one big thing to look forward to in 2020: a brand new stadium in Inglewood.
SoFi Stadium is 85% complete, according to the Rams, and is set to open this summer. The Rams will move into the new venue for next season, sharing it with the Chargers. As the newest stadium in the NFL – along with the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – it’s going to be a state-of-the-art stadium for the two Los Angeles teams.
John Kay, who frequently shares videos of SoFi Stadium’s progress, posted a new video to his YouTube channel recently showing aerial shots of the stadium. It gives a glimpse at the 360-degree video board, the NFL offices going up next door and the swooping canopy around SoFi Stadium.
On Tuesday, Kay shared another video shot by himself near the grounds of SoFi Stadium. Construction workers can be seen on the roof, cranes are moving pieces into place, and Kay shows where the American Airlines Plaza will be located.
The Rams called the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home for the last four years after moving back to the West Coast from St. Louis, but they’re undoubtedly ready for a new place to play their home games.
Taylor Rapp wasn’t named an All-Rookie at safety by the PFWA.
The Los Angeles Rams haven’t made a first-round pick since Jared Goff was taken No. 1 overall in 2016, and they aren’t slated to pick in the top 32 again until 2022 (barring possible trades). As a result, their draft classes haven’t typically been impactful in Year 1. That was certainly the case in 2018 when John Franklin-Myers was really the only one to play meaningful snaps.
This past season, the Rams got contributions from a bunch of rookies, led by Taylor Rapp, Bobby Evans and David Edwards. But for the second straight year, the Rams were shut out from the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie Team. They didn’t have a single player selected, with Rapp being the only legitimate candidate.
At safety, the PFWA selected Darnell Savage of the Packers and Juan Thornhill of the Chiefs.
The last time the Rams had a representative on the All-Rookie Team was in 2017 when Cooper Kupp was selected. In 2015, Todd Gurley and Rob Havenstein were honored. And the year before that, Tre Mason, Aaron Donald and E.J. Gaines made the All-Rookie Team.
In fact, since 2010, the Rams have had 12 players selected by the PFWA. From 2012-2015, multiple Rams players were named All-Rookies in each of those three seasons.
It’s difficult to find impactful rookies when you don’t have a first-round pick, but the Rams are making the most of their situation. They have promising young players entering Year 2 with Rapp, Darrell Henderson, Evans, Edwards and David Long Jr.
The Rams have the talent to be a Super Bowl team, but they must put it all together.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
After reaching Super Bowl LIII last February, the Los Angeles Rams regressed and became just an average team in 2019. The offense wasn’t close to what it was in 2018, while the defense found absolutely no consistency.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for the Rams, though. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the 2020 season, even after they went just 9-7 this past year.
The Rams have the potential to be a Super Bowl contender next season if their top players perform up to expectations, and if the front office is able to replace potential departures in free agency.
Here are five reasons for hope for the Rams in 2020.
Jared Goff showed he can be a top QB in 2018
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
There were a number of factors that led to Goff’s disappointing 2019 season. His offensive line was constantly undergoing changes due to injury and it struggled all year long. The Rams’ running game was almost non-existent, partly due to Todd Gurley’s reduced workload and his ineffectiveness in most games.
Goff, himself, deserves plenty of blame for the way he played, too, but he’s also shown he can be a top quarterback before. In 2018, he was an MVP candidate until the Rams’ Week 12 bye, after which he regressed. In the first 11 games of that season, he threw 26 touchdown passes and six interceptions with a passer rating of 113.5.
If he returns to that level of play in 2020, the Rams will look more like the team that made it to the Super Bowl than the one that missed the playoffs. A lot of their success hinges on Goff, and while his 2019 campaign was concerning, his 2018 season is reason for hope.
If the Rams can’t extend Dante Fowler Jr. long-term, they could tag and trade him.
Navigating the waters of free agency this year could prove difficult for the Los Angeles Rams, who not only have several players on expiring contracts, but also a lack of spending money available to keep them all.
As a result, the team – specifically the defense – could look very different in 2020. Dante Fowler Jr., Cory Littleton and Michael Brockers are three of the Rams’ biggest free agents, and it’s possible all three will be playing elsewhere next season. Sure, Los Angeles could get compensatory picks in the 2021 draft for losing them, but there’s another way the team can get compensated for one of those players.
As we saw last year with three edge rushers, the tag-and-trade route is one approach that can prove to be effective in getting a draft pick (or two) in return for a player bound to leave in free agency. In 2019 alone, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark were all franchise tagged and then traded by their respective teams.
After looking at those trades, it’s hard not to imagine the Rams taking a similar path with Fowler. He doesn’t have the track record that Clark had, posting 32 sacks in the three years before being dealt. Fowler also doesn’t have the versatility or potential that Clowney had when he was with the Texans. He’s probably closer to Ford, but two and a half years younger at the time of hitting free agency.
So, could the Rams tag Fowler and trade him to a team willing to give up a draft pick or two? Absolutely, especially with the price difference between a defensive end and linebacker, which will make Fowler’s one-year tag much cheaper than it could have been if he were playing defensive end.
(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
According to Over The Cap, the projected franchise tag value for a DE is $19.32 million. For a linebacker, which Fowler technically is, it’s $16.27 million. Considering the Rams gave Fowler a one-year, $14 million deal last year after he only had four sacks in 2018, it’s absolutely reasonable to think a team would be willing to pay him $16.27 million for the 2020 season.
Because he’s only 25 and won’t turn 26 until August, Fowler is still entering his prime. He posted a career-high 11.5 sacks, 58 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits this past season, proving to be the player the Rams thought he’d become when they extended him last offseason.
A player with those numbers is going to be coveted on the free-agent market, so it’s likely a team would be willing to part with a second- or third-round pick in a tag-and-trade scenario.
That would also give the team trading for Fowler the ability to negotiate a long-term deal with him, too – assuming the trade happens before the July 15 franchise tender deadline.
Ford and Clark both did, but Clowney’s trade came in September, so the Seahawks only got him for one season. Ford’s extension with the 49ers was worth $85 million for five years, while Clark’s was for $105.5 million over five years.
Fowler’s value is probably going to be somewhere in the range of $16 million per year, which after seeing the contracts Ford and Clark got, doesn’t seem like an inflated price. It’s also one a team will absolutely be willing to pay.
The Rams adding a second- or third-round pick would be a huge help for their draft haul, since they don’t have a first-rounder in 2020 (or 2021). It would give them another top-100 selection, and allow them added flexibility if they want to move up from their first selection at No. 52.
If they begin to realize they can’t afford Fowler, there’s no question they should consider tagging him and trading him elsewhere.
